Funding and Valuation - Autonomous driving startup Wayve has raised $1.2 billion in a Series D funding round, bringing its valuation to $8.6 billion [2][3] Investment and Partnerships - The funding round included participation from major companies such as Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber, as well as automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis [3] - Uber plans to invest additional milestone-based capital to support the global scaling of Wayve-powered robotaxi deployments, as part of a broader $1.5 billion package aimed at commercial rollout [3] Future Plans - Wayve intends to launch commercial robotaxi trials in 2026 and deploy supervised autonomy software in consumer vehicles starting in 2027 [3] - CEO Alex Kendall emphasized the goal of building a total addressable market that encompasses every vehicle, aiming to create an autonomy layer that can power any vehicle globally [4] Industry Trends - Uber is expanding into the eVTOL space with Uber Air, allowing users to book all-electric air taxi rides through the Uber app, in collaboration with Joby Aviation [4][5]

Uber riders can hail a car, motorbike, or boat, depending on where they are in the world. Soon, helicopter-like air taxis will join that list. Passengers will be able to book an air taxi ride through the Uber app in Dubai before the end of 2026, the company said on Wednesday. The option will use flying electric vehicles created by startup Joby Aviation.Joby's aircraft can fit up to four passengers and are flown by commercial pilots, the companies said. Joby will operate four landing locations, or "vertiport ...